A SURVEY OF EFFECTS OF CHEMICALS ON DIVISION AND GROWTH OF YEAST AND ESCHERICHIA COLI

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Abstract
The effects of organic and inorganic chemicals on growth and division processes were tested during the logarithmic phases of growth and division of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and E. coli. The chemicals are classified into groups according to their effects on the test organisms: (1) those which are without effect on either division or growth; (2) those which inhibit growth without affecting division; (3) those which inhibit both browth and division of yeast; and (4) those which selectively inhibit division without reducing culture growth. This latter group causes enlarged paired yeast cells and filaments of E. coli which are several times the size of control cells. Yeast division was inhibited specifically only by methyl bis (beta-chloroethyl) amine (litrogen mustard)" and by triethylenemelamine while cell division in E. coli was inhibited by these 2 compounds and also by acriflavine, 5-diazouracil, diethyl and dimethyl sulfates, ethylenimine, 5-nitro-7-hydroxybenzotriazole, and beta-pro-piolactone. It is suggested that the specific inhibition of cell division by such compounds is due to their ability to produce carbonium ions in solution rather than an inhibition similar to that effected by an antimetabolite.